HONOR took advantage of the IFA to lift the veil on the Magic V2, a folding smartphone ultra-compact which could well be the model that many users have been waiting for to take the leap.
If folding smartphones follow and look alike, with some rather smooth evolutions each year, HONOR is kicking in the anthill by presenting the thinnest and lightest book format model ever seen once folded. It’s very simple, we tried it, and it is more compact and lighter in the pocket than the iPhone 14 Pro (with its shell) that we use on a daily basis.
HONOR Magic V2: the technical sheet
- Dimensions unfolded: 156.7 x 145.4 x 4.7 mm or 4.8 mm
- Dimensions folded: 156.7 x 74.1 x 9.9 mm or 10.1 mm
- Weight: 231g
- Folding display: LTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1600 nits, 7.92″, 2156 x 2344 pixels
- Exterior display: LTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2500 nits, 6.43″, 1060 x 2376 pixels
- OS: Android 13, MagicOS 7.2
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Memory: 256/512/1TB + 16GB RAM
- Camera: 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide angle), PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 20 MP, f/2.4, (tele), PDAF, 2.5x optical zoom, OIS; 50 MP, f/2.0, (ultra-wide-angle), AF
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Battery: 5000 mAh Li-Po, 66W fast charge, 5W reverse charge
Innovations at the service of finesse
The Magic V2 features a new titanium hinge – an exclusive material for HONOR – for better durability despite its reduced size. The Magic V2 has also achieved durability certification from SGS, which guarantees the hinge will withstand over 400,000 bends, with a lifespan of up to ten years per hundred bends per day.
In order to achieve such a compact form factor in the folded position, HONOR has developed a dual Silicon-Carbon battery with an average thickness of only 2.72 mm, which ensures a capacity of up to 5000 mAh. This ultra-thin dual battery is housed in each of the two parts that make up the smartphone, and has the luxury of doing better than a certain Galaxy Fold5 from Samsung.
A first grip that makes a strong impression
We were able to preview the Magic V2 at the IFA in Berlin, and the least we can say is that it won us over. Although the very concept of folding smartphones in book format seems interesting to us, for the moment no product has totally convinced us. Many users aren’t willing to sacrifice bulk and weight for more screen real estate.
The textured rear covering is very successful © Colin Golberg for Clubic
This is where HONOR achieved a great feat, by offering such a thin and light folding smartphone. Daily user of the iPhone 14 Pro, this one is thicker and heavier (with its shell) than the folded Magic V2! In your pocket, you really feel like you have a traditional smartphone.
If the Magic V2 is definitely high-end, the rendering is still slightly less premium than on the Fold5. On the other hand, despite the extreme finesse, the fold of the screen is much less visible than on the latter. Less visible, but also less sensitive to the finger. It remains to be seen what the software part gives, essential to the efficiency of a folding smartphone and the optimization of its display surface.
Price, release date, we will have to wait
Available in China since July at a price of $1250, we do not yet have information on the date of availability in France, nor the price of the different models. Anyway, we can’t wait to test this Magic V2 on Clubic, and why not take the step of the folding smartphone. It is in any case, by far, the folding model that has thrilled us the most.
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